Method for producing organic fertilizer enabling increased microbial diversity and abundance in soil, and use of the organic fertilizer

Abstract

A method for producing an organic fertilizer enabling an increased microbial diversity and abundance in soil, and use of the organic fertilizer are provided. The method comprises composting fresh S. alopecuroides plants together with sheep and/or goat manure through anaerobic fermentation. It is found through experiments that, by applying the organic fertilizer produced by the method to a soil in which melon plants are grown, both abundance of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere of the plants and contents of soluble solids and sugar in fruit of the plants are increased. By a combination of taxonomic composition of the microbial communities in the rhizosphere and RDA analysis, it is further found that abundance of multiple bacterial and fungal species conducive to growth and disease resistance of the plants, is substantially increased and positively correlated with the soluble solids and sugar contents in the fruit.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A method for producing an organic fertilizer which enables an increased microbial diversity and abundance in soil, the method comprising:
 composting fresh  S. alopecuroides  plants together with sheep and/or goat manure by making a heap thereof with a layer of the manure disposed on a layer of the plants and then moistening all layers with water and covering the heap with a polymeric film to allow for anaerobic fermentation in a sealed environment,   wherein, fermentation is determined to be completed when the following conditions are satisfied: a temperature of the heap decreases; odor from the manure, sulfur, and ammonia disappears; a scent peculiar to the  S. alopecuroides  plants is emitted; a colour of the heap becomes light and changes to brown; and leaves of the plants are degraded and remaining stalks are dark in colour and have soft and frangible fibers.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein a mass ratio of the  S. alopecuroides  plants to the manure is 1000:300. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the anaerobic fermentation is carried out for 40 days. 
     
     
         11 . A process for using organic fertilizer produced by a method comprising:
 composting fresh  S. alopecuroides  plants together with sheep and/or goat manure by making a heap thereof with a layer of the manure disposed on a layer of the plants and then moistening all layers with water and covering the heap with a polymeric film to allow for anaerobic fermentation in a sealed environment,   wherein, fermentation is determined to be completed when the following conditions are satisfied: a temperature of the heap decreases; odor from the manure, sulfur, and ammonia disappears; a scent peculiar to the  S. alopecuroides  plants is emitted; a colour of the heap becomes light and changes to brown; and leaves of the plants are degraded and remaining stalks are dark in colour and have soft and frangible fibers;   increasing abundance of bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere of a plant, comprising applying the organic fertilizer to a soil in which the plant is grown at the end of the flowering period of the plant.   
     
     
         12 . The process according to  claim 11 , wherein a mass ratio of the  S. alopecuroides  plants to the manure is 1000:300. 
     
     
         13 . The process according to  claim 11 , wherein the anaerobic fermentation is carried out for 40 days. 
     
     
         14 . The process according to  claim 11 , wherein the bacterial community is selected from the group consisting of  Saccharimonadales, Haliangium, Iamia, Pelomonas, Pedomicrobium, Gaiella, Rokubacteriales, Lysobacter , and  Acinetobacter.    
     
     
         15 . The process according to  claim 12 , wherein the bacterial community is selected from the group consisting of  Saccharimonadales, Haliangium, Iamia, Pelomonas, Pedomicrobium, Gaiella, Rokubacteriales, Lysobacter , and  Acinetobacter.    
     
     
         16 . The process according to  claim 13 , wherein the bacterial community is selected from the group consisting of  Saccharimonadales, Haliangium, Iamia, Pelomonas, Pedomicrobium, Gaiella, Rokubacteriales, Lysobacter , and  Acinetobacter.    
     
     
         17 . The process according to  claim 11 , wherein the fungal community is selected from the group consisting of  Acremonium, Lophotrichus, Aspergillus, Mortierella, Botryotrichum, Pseudeurotium, Acaulium, Ilyonectria, Cutaneotrichosporon , and  Talaromyces.    
     
     
         18 . The process according to  claim 12 , wherein the fungal community is selected from the group consisting of  Acremonium, Lophotrichus, Aspergillus, Mortierella, Botryotrichum, Pseudeurotium, Acaulium, Ilyonectria, Cutaneotrichosporon , and  Talaromyces.    
     
     
         19 . The process according to  claim 13 , wherein the fungal community is selected from the group consisting of  Acremonium, Lophotrichus, Aspergillus, Mortierella, Botryotrichum, Pseudeurotium, Acaulium, Ilyonectria, Cutaneotrichosporon , and  Talaromyces.    
     
     
         20 . A process for using an organic fertilizer produced by a method comprising:
 composting fresh  S. alopecuroides  plants together with sheep and/or goat manure by making a heap thereof with a layer of the manure disposed on a layer of the plants and then moistening all layers with water and covering the heap with a polymeric film to allow for anaerobic fermentation in a sealed environment,   wherein, fermentation is determined to be completed when the following conditions are satisfied: a temperature of the heap decreases; odor from the manure, sulfur, and ammonia disappears; a scent peculiar to the  S. alopecuroides  plants is emitted; a colour of the heap becomes light and changes to brown; and leaves of the plants are degraded and remaining stalks are dark in colour and have soft and frangible fibers;   increasing contents of soluble solids and sugar present in fruit of a melon plant, comprising application of the organic fertilizer to a soil in which the melon plant is grown at the end of the flowering period of the plant.   
     
     
         21 . The process according to  claim 20 , wherein a mass ratio of the  S. alopecuroides  plants to the manure is 1000:300. 
     
     
         22 . The process according to  claim 20 , wherein the anaerobic fermentation is carried out for 40 days.